As explained in Acts 19:11-22, God produced extraordinary results in Ephesus. Handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched Paul were taken to the sick and their illnesses were cured. There were some who went around trying to drive out evil spirits by unleashing the power of the gospel themselves; invoking the name of the Lord Jesus when trying to drive out the evil spirits from demon-possessed souls.

The fear of the Lord consumed the people of the city when they saw the punishment received by those who deceptively used the name of the Lord to drive out evil spirits. They were punished for their duplicity and the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power (v. 20).

After Paul stayed in Ephesus for 2 ½ years, he started to make plans for the future and took some steps to fulfill those plans. He sent Timothy and Erastus to Macedonia to prepare the believers for his coming. He also started planning for a visit to Rome.

Today, the world would be better off if guidance received was more from God through His Word and through prayer rather than from secular thought. Prayer is our greatest power because we are talking to the ONE who has the answers.

Lord, this day with You, we pray that we put Your guidance into practice rather than relying on deceptive guidance from those with their own agenda. Like Paul, help us to plan out our Christian service for the future. Help us with the instructions we need to fulfill those plans. We know this day will be amazing because we will be putting Your guidance into practice. In Jesus name. Amen.

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